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ULM, Germany - "I am looking forward to working with you very closely and to have you as my advisor in all matters concerning JSEC's non-commissioned officers and the staff as a whole. I am sure we will benefit from your years of military experiences in multiple operational theaters and I wish you all the best for your future tasks.", Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, Commander Joint Support and Enabling Command (JSEC), states while welcoming Warrant Officer Class One (WO1) Henry Sanday as JSEC's new Command Senior Enlisted Leader (CSEL) during the welcome line-up on 30 June in the Wilhelmsburg Barracks in Ulm.

The Commander of the Joint Support and Enabling Command, Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank (on the left) welcomes Warrant Officer Class One Henry Sanday (on the right) as the new Command Senior Enlisted Leader on 30 June, 2022 in the Wilhelmsburg Barracks in Ulm (Photo: OR-4 AF Gina Seegert)

I am sure we will benefit from your years of military experiences [...]

Officially taking over the position from his predecessor, the acting CSEL for the past eight months since the command's Full Operational Capability Event in the fall of 2021, WO1 Sanday is not a completely new face within the barracks.

Born in Lautoka, Fiji, in 1980, Henry Sanday came to the United Kingdom in 2001 and joined the British Army's Royal Green Jackets (now called the Rifles Regiment) as a Light Role Infantry Man. Besides several years of training, different positions, promotions and nine deployments including Sierra Leone, Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan, he got awarded with the Queen's Commendation for Bravery Award in March 2010. Honoring his utter professionalism and courage as a commander under the most complicated of situations after being attacked by four Improvised Explosive Devices during operations in Afghanistan in the year of 2009, WO1 Sanday remembers this award as one of his career's highlights to date.

The Joint Support and Enabling Command staff lines up to welcome the Command Senior Enlisted Leader on 30 June, 2022 (Photo: OR-4 AF Gina Seegert)

Warrant Officer Class One Henry Sanday is taking over as the first official Command Senior Enlisted Leader at the Joint Support and Enabling Command (Photo: OR-4 AF Gina Seegert)

Joint Support and Enabling Command's staff listens to the commander's speech welcoming the new Command Senior Enlisted Leader (Photo: OR-4 AF Gina Seegert)

"Joining NATO and stepping out of my comfort zone from an operational background into a more administrative and logistical nature of work surely was another memorable experience in my military life so far.", Sanday explains.

His first NATO position made him take over as CSEL for the Standing Joint Logistics Support Group, also located in the Wilhelmsburg Barracks and integrated into the JSEC since 2022.

The rugby enthusiast who also enjoys travelling abroad and exploring new places appreciates his time in Ulm together with his wife. The city's historic buildings and the church with the highest spire in the world (the Ulmer Minster) are some of WO1 Sanday's favorite sights at his home away from home.

My aim is to fully support the Commander JSEC in achieving our mission [...] and to provide an environment to empower all ranks to make bold decisions and trust the process as well as the chain of command [...]

Knowing his way around Ulm and the historic Wilhelmsburg Barracks, WO1 Sanday now starts his new challenge as JSEC's first official CSEL and has a clear idea of the role he wants to assume:

"My aim is to fully support the Commander JSEC in achieving our mission and ensuring that it is understood at all staff levels and departments. I hope to guide officers and non-commissioned officers on NATO etiquette and to provide an environment to empower all ranks to make bold decisions and trust the process as well as the chain of command while developing their potential in their given role.", Sanday emphasizes.